Gertjan Hoetjes is a lecturer at European Studies with a background in Middle Eastern Politics and Political Science. In 2020, he obtained his doctoral degree in Middle Eastern Politics at the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies  (University of Exeter) after successfully defending his PhD thesis on the impact of Internet technology on contentious politics in Kuwait and Oman that was under supervision of Professor Marc Valeri and Dr. Christina Phillips. Alongside his doctoral degree from the University of Exeter, Hoetjes has obtained Master degrees in Gulf Studies (University of Exeter, 2011) and Political Science (University of Amsterdam, 2009), as well as a Bachelor Degree in Political Science (University of Amsterdam, 2007).

Hoetjes previously held lecturer and teaching fellow positions at the University of Groningen (Middle East Studies) and Durham University (School of Government and International Affairs), and was awarded a PhD studentship from the Centre of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter in 2015. His main research interests revolve around state-society relations, political economy and international relations in the Gulf region.